Despite more pressing matters facing it, the Houston City Council will be considering a resolution to oppose an invasion of Iraq.
Six of the council’s 15 members support some form of a resolution on possible U.S. military action and some of them say the body should at least have the conviction to discuss it.
Mayor Lee Brown said through his chief of staff, Stephen Tinnermon, that neither of the two councilmen’s draft resolutions had enough votes to pass and he did not want to put either on the agenda until they did.
Councilman Gordon Quan’s draft called for the council to go on record “opposing unilateral pre-emptive military action against Iraq.”
Such action, it said, would cost billions of dollars when the American economy is struggling and cities are suffering fiscal crises.
Councilman Carroll Robinson’s draft supported withdrawing U.S. military personnel from the Middle East, Europe and South Korea and redeploying some to nations willing to accept them.
The draft proposed using the savings for domestic priorities, specifically a universal health care plan, prescription drug plan for senior citizens and education.
The Coalition for Justice Not War, working to get an antiwar resolution on the council agenda, supported Quan’s draft, said Ken Freeland, coalition spokesman.
“The best support we can give the American armed forces is to keep them out of an unjustifiable war in the Middle East,” Freeland said.
Look, I’m not in favor of this invasion, either, but I firmly believe that it’s none of the Council’s business. Yes, I know, other city councils have adopted similar resolutions. I think they’re equally misguided. City councils are about city business. Period.
If individual council members want to speak out on this issue, they’re free to do so on their own time. Were any of them at the anti-war protest last weekend? Not as far as I can tell. This just strikes me as posturing, and even though it’s for a position I favor, I still don’t approve.
“Councilman Gordon Quan’s draft called for the council to go on record “opposing unilateral pre-emptive military action against Iraq.”
I guess this means they’d support multilateral action, then, which is what we’re planning. We already have a dozen nations on our sides and troops from the UK and Australia.
For what it’s worth, the LA city council just turned down their anti-war resolution.